


Let me adore you!

by princessofthieves



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: I will not go into details over that but I think it's worth warning, Link does suffer from slight haphephobia, Link is totally amnesiac and only starting to rebuild himself, M/M, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Slow Burn, So this won't be a 'feel good' fic, also careful, and Sidon has a LOT of growing up to do before they can actually be in a relationship so, implied noncon and underage in Link's past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 05:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20773472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessofthieves/pseuds/princessofthieves
Summary: Link likes food, he likes horses, he likes exploring Hyrules and trying new things. He doesn't remember what Old Link liked to do but he's content with things as they are, even if having to save Hyrule sounds like a lot of work.What Link hates is when people are overly kind only to enter his graces. And he can tell Sidon is one of those.





	Let me adore you!

**Author's Note:**

> I will be honest here, I am for the first time attempting to touch more sensible topics and I want everyone to know I am open to criticisms and suggestions. Both Link and Sidon will have a rough start with each other and this is based on the alternative cutscene you get by reaching the King's room without ever speaking with Sidon: he's pretty pissed at first then showers Link with love and affection, in this case- he's not totally sincere in it.

Link could call himself a big fan of his so called ‘Destiny’, but being able to explore Hyrule had been… something. While he didn’t feel like he still had anything in common with the person he was before the Shrine of resurrection, traveling allowed him to learn a lot of things about himself and that was an adventure on its own.

He discovered enough about himself to know he enjoyed cooking, especially meat, and any new ingredient was carefully stored in his slate to be tried at the first occasion. Some foods were delicious, others made him sick, he still loved everything about that. 

He loved horses with all his might, he even caught his own mare that accidentally was named Lunch because he tried to ask for food to the stable owner, and he disliked dogs, petting them made him sneeze a lot so he learnt to keep his distance. Other animals all fell in the ‘tastes good’ category, he only avoided those clearly owned by other people like cows and goats… but he kept wondering what they’d taste like.

He loved trying different clothes and colors, especially bright and extravagant ones, there was a little voice in his head telling him his old self never had a chance to choose what to wear nor how outrageous to appear… and Link thrived with his ridiculously red bandana, the yellow pants and the green hylian tunic.

He loved adventuring, discovering new things, and even if he occasionally got hurt knowing how to bottle a fairy and how to prepare healing potions gave him the security to move on and try harder no matter what: finding a korok or a new shrine was a reward worth a chipped tooth or two, he was having too much fun to worry.

The only thing that never truly clicked for him? People.

Meeting others who weren’t just the Old Man of the Plateau had been a mixed bag of emotions: some people he liked, like the kids or fellow food lovers like Gotter, others he disliked greatly when they tried to do things he didn’t want to. 

He also found out he absolutely hated being touched, his whole body refusing physical contact from anyone older than the little Cotta of Kakariko village but that he couldn’t really explain  _ why _ . He could cling to his horse for a whole night without any issue, yet the slightest touch from a fellow hylian was generally enough to give him a fight or flee response. With a body covered in scars like the one he had Link mostly assumed battles with others were rather violent before the calamity.

It didn’t matter, thought, he was mostly having a good time, he still planned to do what the old Link pledged to do and he already started saving money for a house in Hateno after his first visit to meet Purah and he couldn’t wait to be allowed to make his own choices in life.

Hell, beside a couple of rotten apples he even liked the people of that village! Thadd was so proud in his guard duties at the gate despite only having a pitchfork (he didn’t like his comment about Hylians generally being good people too much but that seemed to be an idea shared by too many of them), Seldon’s pride when it came to his shy daughter was a delight, the kids’s laughter made him feel happy, Sayge loved to indulge his passion for bright dyes- and even if some people like Manny didn’t feel so great he liked it there.

What he didn’t like, thought, was being chased by monsters. He was returning from Robbie’s laboratory in Akkala when he finally decided to aim for the first Divine Beast… and considering he still had to figure out how to face the incredible heat of Death Mountain the closest and most sensible destination clearly was the big elephant in the land of fish people.

Terrible choice, really, the wetlands were absolutely infested by lizalfos and dodging them, even with the help of his mare, was hard enough. He just had to keep going, he could do it, just a bit more…

“Heeey.”

Who in the name of Hylia-

“Hey you, wait a minute!”

There was a black fish-dude in water calling for him but arrows flying his way only convinced Link to spur his horse once more, he and Lunch kept running for a while before managing to cut themselves a moment of peace. Sweet Hylia, he knew dying could happen anytime and it wasn’t such a big deal, not for him at least, but he didn’t really want to find himself back in Akkala or something like that.

“Did it, love.” he managed to whisper, gently, to his horse. Words weren’t something that came natural to him, Link had to force himself to speak most of the time and it got in the way of most of his interactions, so practicing with his best friend was… a good thing?

He couldn’t close his eyes for a moment, thought, because the same figure who tried to get his attention earlier literally jumped out of the water in front of him, almost giving him a heart attack.

“You’re a hylian, aren’t you?” Link, heart still pounding in his chest, only managed to reply with a small nod before being interrupted by the black fish once more “This is the first time I’ve seen one! I’m Tottika of the Zora!” 

Zora… right, he heard that word before, even if he wasn’t sure if it was during his travels or if it was something passed down from the person he once was.

“Yes, I can tell! You are most certainly a hylian!” Didn’t he see Link’s reply? Maybe zora didn’t nod like that “As fate would have it, our prince Sidon is looking for a Hylian like you.” Oh, well, if he was wondering how he’d talk his way into being allowed near the divine beast getting to talk with one of the highest ranks of the species was probably going to help his cause “The prince is at Inogo Bridge right now. Will you consent to go and see him? I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to...”

Ah, that was nice, even if Tottika’s careless behavior almost got Link hurt he seemed to respect his-

“Though… I’d kind of like you to go even if you don’t want to…”

The Hylian straightened his back, there was something about the words chosen by the other and his tone that rang an alarm bell in the back of his head. For a moment he felt like a child, cornered, with someone using words sounding like honey to try to convince him to do something he didn’t want to-

Oh, come on! Even if the mellifluous tone was making him uneasy it wasn’t like the other really pushed him in this Prince’s direction, he had to go that direction anyway.

“Hm, yes! It is decided!”

Excuse him?

“You will indeed go and see the prince, even if you don’t really want to!”

Three different voices screamed in his head when the other zora approached, blabbering something about this Sidon’s position: one was letting him know how much he wanted to stab the guy, he had already seen people like this and he hated them, one was reminding him he never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it and the last one simply told him to run.

Before he knew it he was back on Lunch’s back once more, now absolutely certain he wanted nothing further to do with that zora guy nor with that prince waiting. After wandering for a while, calming down and considering his options Link finally raised his eyes to the tall tower in the wetlands. Climbing under the rain wasn’t an option but if he could get there and then paraglide his way in the domain or at least find a passage distant from the main road…

It was worth a shot.

\- - -

Turns out climbing Lanaryu tower had been a great idea: he boosted his own speed with some good rushrooms, managed to sneak past most of the creatures living on it and even if he had to fight a couple of times climbing without rain pouring all over you was definitely better than… whatever awaited him in his way to the Domain.

He also met Gruve on the top, another zora, but despite being told to find Sidon as well… that blue fish didn’t really made him uneasy. If anything, he felt his naivety endearing, like how he desperately tried to get this Sidon dude’s attention to get help. 

He left him behind.

Jumping from the top of the tower allowed Link to reach a good vantage point with his paraglider (he even found a sweet hearty radish there, yum!) and from what his map listed as the “Bank of Wishes” the Hylian could tell he was already at least at one third of his intended path. The rest of the walk was more or less uneventful, even if he ended up swapping his bandana for a bright pink cape to protect himself from the rain as much as he could.

Link walked across the Zodobon Highlands, kept hugging the mountain’s side avoiding the whole deviation toward Ralis Pond and even on Ruto Mountain, where he was basically forced to go for the main road, he still paraglided from the mountain itself to the Great Zora Bridge.

Prince Sidon and his black goon had been avoided, huzzah! That and he managed to avoid most monsters lurking on the way, only one of those electric flying mages trying to ruin his day,/ double Huzzah!

He forced himself to offer a small smile at the guards at the entrance, a brown zora and a smaller, purple one, but fortunately enough they didn’t ask any question simply letting him in. Good, he wasn’t sure his voice would have been ready to cooperate there.

A bit of exploring, a shrine activated behind a statue of a zora with a lance and Link finally managed to figure out where to go next. Shesh, he really disliked that place: he was completely wet, the temperature was unpleasant with cold air coming from the south and despite his boots he risked to slip on the stairs more than once but at least the big, fish shaped structure on the top of the city seemed there to hold… someone important.

And behold- he wasn’t even at the top of the stairs and he could already see a giant blue Zora sitting on what seemed a giant throne and covered in more jewelry than anyone else. It was a breathtaking sight, the corner of his lips turned up in the corners as he gazed upon that enormous figure while a strange feeling of familiarity and comfort washed in. 

He barely noticed the red Zora standing beside him. At least until his voice reached the hylian’s ears.

“And who might you be?”

Oh, now that was an annoyed person. He probably stepped in a place where most people weren’t supposed to go and he couldn’t really complain if this red one seemed upset. 

“The Zora King is not accepting visitors at this time.”

So that was the king. Dear Hylia, he needed to speak with him but when he tried to open his mouth all he managed was a chocked rant. Fantastic, really. Link took a step forward, trying to reach for the notebook and pencil he always carried around, most people didn’t seem to understand handspeak anyway and even if the king was huge he could probably at least read a piece of paper if it was put under his nose… right?

The red one didn’t seem to agree with his attempt to move closer.

“I shall escort you out.”

Oh, great. It was probably better to wait until he could sneak in without being seen, probably, he was going to find a good place where to rest unti-

“Pardon my manners…” The sudden shift in tone the red one had made Link take an instinctive step back, there was again that feeling of ‘been there, done that’ he couldn’t fully explain. This sudden shift from an irritated voice to a honey covered one as soon as he was recognized as… something, that was something he hated “But are you a hylian?”

What was the deal with fish people and hylians anyway?

“Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

Oh, of course it was HIS fault for not speaking when he wasn’t even given a chance to do so. Not that Link was probably going to be able to produce any sound at that moment, but… it still wasn’t his fault if the other didn’t give him time.

“Please, please, come in!”

And Link only wanted to run away.

\- - -

Link was sitting in a room he rented in Kodah’s inn processing all the information he received in the past hour and, sweet Hylia, there was a LOT to unpack.

He had… a fiancè? Maybe? He had a short flashback of this Mipha girl and if his current experience was anything to go by she and the Old Link had to be really close for him to let her touch one of his wounds.

Most zora also remembered him, the older ones at least, and some considered him a friend (Turns out the brown guy at the entrance was actually pretty cool, or at least it was Link’s first impression). He… didn’t really felt guilty for what he was accused by the elders, if Old Link let Mipha die it still was Old Link’s fault, not his, and he was there anyway to fix this mess.

Turns out that like in Hateno most people seemed nice enough, even if he had been around for too little to judge, and he really liked how some of them weren’t afraid to speak their mind (even if he told Muzu he liked him… he was probably going to be thrown on the east reservoir without even a piece of bark to cling on), but he really, really disliked the Prince.

_ Careful with him _ , kept screaming a voice in the back of his head, and he agreed with it. The way he changed attitude as soon as he realized Link was the person he  _ needed  _ reminded Link of something he wanted to leave behind and no amount of nice words, encouraging compliments and lovely banters could distract the hylian from the fact Sidon was probably putting up an act because he wanted Link to deal with the problems of the Domain.

Couldn’t he just… be direct like Impa? That was the same bullshit behaviour the Old Man had on the Plateau, lies over lies so the hero will shine, it was disgusting. And when the big fish tried to help him wear the ora armor, a mess of silver clasps and hidden belts, he didn’t hesitate one second slapping his hand away.

At least the King seemed honest in his enthusiasm? 

Oh, well, he had to deal with Vah Ruta anyway or Hyrule was going to end underwater. Current plan, get to shatterback point (he was going to use the motherfucking Cryonis to climb the waterfalls, he didn’t really want to wear something made with another person’s skin for longer than necessary. Especially considering there was a chance for her to be still alive. Goodness, what if his fiancé WAS alive? Was she even… he would think about that later.), get shock arrows, reach the prince at the reservoir and do what you’re supposed to do.

Finding the innkeeper waiting for him with a good bowl of fish soup and lots of reassuring words (Like mom, a part of him thought) made him feel better about the whole ordeal.

\- - - 

Turns out lynels were big shits and Sidon’s plan was pure trash. Riding on the other’s back had been unpleasant as he expected, the forced physical contact with someone he didn’t like almost had Link walk away and he only managed to deal with it thanks to the adrenaline of the battle and pure stubbornness.

Inside Vah Ruta things had been even worse, it took him forever to figure out how the Beast worked and sweet Hylia who decided it was a good idea to make everything basically working in a puzzle-like fashion?

Okay, it was probably a test of sorts, still… fuck you, whoever built that thing.

Puzzle after puzzle, panel after panel, he finally managed to force the blight out of its hiding spot and properly challenge it. The battle itself had been another huge mess, he slipped in the water more than once, and every hit felt like a blast from a bomb. 

Still… there was a method to the creature’s movements, a pattern: it was like the creature had been programmed to move in a certain way and it lacked adaptability, something Link had. A death, two, and he could start to see how each move had always the same timing, three, four, each move was almost announced by a certain pose or sound, five, six, he started to figure out how to counter them all.

By the time the creature was dead he only had nine deaths on his account and even if he felt absolutely drained by the whole ordeal he just couldn’t wait to leave the place behind. Too bad the fiancé had to show up.

It wasn’t a heartfelt reunion, she mostly talked on her own but no sound managed to escape his lips, and then… she left a part of herself inside of him. The simple thought bothered him to no end but if it was a blessing he was supposed to bear it, right? Was it any different than what the monks did?

Were the Spirit Orbs parts of the Monks as well?

He didn’t like the idea. 

Still he didn’t know how to get any of that out, as usual he’d suck it up… after all he had a dad to inform his daughter truly passed away and other beasts waiting for him. The meeting itself was as miserable as he expected even if both him and Sidon were celebrated like heroes, he barely managed not to bite him when the shark reached forward to hold his hand, and before night he was already packing his things to leave. At least the zora set (A lady gave him the pants as well for a picture of the lynel) was going to greatly help him around when swimming was involved… he just needed to get over the ‘wearing your dead girlfriend’ part.

He was about to teleport when the brown zora of the Bridge, Rivan, interrupted him. Oh, well, that dude seemed okay, he could probably entertain him a bit more.

\- - - 

Knowing Mipha was truly lost hurt both Sidon and his father a lot, the shark allowed himself a good cry once he retired to his personal rooms because deep inside he still hoped and when Link confirmed both he and Zelda were still alive he couldn’t help but  _ hope _ .

Still he was a model to his people, someone they looked up to, and he couldn’t show how much things affected him and he needed to focus on things that could affect him and his people on the long term. Specifically speaking: the fact that Hyrule’s Kingdom could soon be reinstituted considering Zelda survived and her knight was out for the calamity.

He needed to… get ready for that. Make sure the zora would keep the almost special treatment they had for the longest time as the kingdom closed to Hyrule’s family. And that meant starting with charming who could possibly soon become the Hero of Hyrule, that would give him basically a free pass on the future queen as well.

He left his personal pool, adjusted his jewelry and walked in the domain, offering suave smiles and waves to his subjects and humbly accepting compliments still stating the true hero had been Link. The truth was he was incredibly proud he helped during the first part of the battle and that  _ his _ idea worked out, Sidon knew he did a great job there, yet he wanted to make sure everyone would let Link know how much the Prince was praising him.

And talking about Link- there he was! Still in Kodah’s inn, lucky him! And he was… talking. Now that was… different. The prince stopped on the stairs, wondering for a long time why the hero had been absolutely silent until then, he even suspected him to be a mute.

Yet he was there, laughing with Rivan, Dunma and Kodah’s family

“Oh, master Link, you’re hilarious!”

“You mean, Hilyarious, don’t you?”

“Please, stop with those terrible puns!”

What the… that wasn’t even a good joke! Oh, it didn’t matter. He fixed his cravat and moved inside the small building with open arms.

“Link, my dearest! I am so glad I could catch you before you left, I was wondering if you would have dinner with me tonight. To celebrate!”

He expected the other to be excited about it, he knew people like Tula would give anything for such an invitation, but the excited chatter soon died out as everyone turned to the knight to congratulate him and only found the young man staring at the zora prince with wide, terrified eyes.

… what. That wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

“... master Link?”

Rivan’s voice seemed to snap something in him and the hylian simply shook his head, rejecting the offer and grabbing his few belongings tossing the hylian cape over his head. A quick wave to say goodbye and he used the slate to teleport away.

What… just happened? Sidon exchanged confused glances with the others. Did the champion… ran away?

“Did… did I say anything wrong?”

No one could give him an answer.


End file.
